


Strange Alchemy

by Mari_Keiyou



Series: Strange Alchemy [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-10-14
Updated: 2010-10-14
Packaged: 2017-10-12 16:19:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/126764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mari_Keiyou/pseuds/Mari_Keiyou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"So..." Roy pressed on, an encouraging grin playing on his face. "Why do you need a home?"</p><p>Edward breathed out deeply before looking Roy in the eye, determined to speak what was on his mind whether he or his reddened face liked it or not. "See, Colonel. My family... Well; it… it got bigger."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strange Alchemy

"Colonel... I need a house."

Roy Mustang refused to look up from his papers. Not that they were very interesting, in fact they were extremely boring. Right now just seemed like any normal moment whenever the Fullmetal alchemist entered his office. Roy would stare down at his papers while the Whiny Prodigy ranted about something or another before demanding information on anything stone related in his missions, same old same old.

Only... This was something unexpected. One worthy of immediate response.

"You need a house." Roy repeated, trying to see if he'd heard right. "And why is that?"  
Edward stared intensely at the floor, as if he was trying to burn a hole in the poor berber carpet with his eyes. There was a slight twitch in his jaw before he spoke, almost forcefully. "I just need a transfer from my dorms to an enlisted home, that's all I'm asking for."

Roy promptly abandoned his papers, looking up at Edward with reserved curiosity. "I'd prefer a few more details before I decide about any sort of transfer.” He criss-crossed his fingers and sat his chin atop his hands.  “So what's the occasion?"

Edward looked up. "Occasion?"

"You're aware that the enlisted homes are for soldiers who have either a family of three or more, and are married or soon to be, correct?"

Edward gulped audibly and nodded.

"So..." Roy pressed on, an encouraging grin playing on his face. "Why do you need a home?"

Edward breathed out deeply before looking Roy in the eye, determined to speak what was on his mind whether he or his reddened face liked it or not. "See, Colonel. My family... Well; it… it got bigger."

 **Mari_Keiyou presents-  
Strange Alchemy  
**   
**Ch.1, Homebound.**

\-----

 _Edward Elric. A military prodigy and resound 'Hero to the Common Man' had recently gotten himself into quite the pickle._

Or to put it more correctly; quite the engagement!

There had been a terrible accident. His long time friend and surrogate grandmother Pinako had been outside her home, merely setting the Rockbell Automail insignia up on a signpost when it happened. She'd fallen from the ladder and broken her hip. It had been such a serious injury that the doctors in Risembool immediately had her transferred by train to Central for medical care.

Cue in Winry Rockbell, another good friend to the Elric brothers. Being the devoted granddaughter to her caretaker and mentor, she insisted that she should be with her grandmother, without even taking in the fact that she would have no place to live comfortably in Central until her grandmother healed, nor could she stay with Edward and Alphonse since the military dorm rules only allow two per room and no one of the opposite gender.

It left Edward with only one ultimatum... if only by influence.

Everyone already knew damn well they weren't related since she'd been in Central so many times, so he couldn't pass her off as a sister or cousin.

So... she had to be...

He'd have to...

\-----

Roy Mustang had to blink a few more times, and refrain himself from laughing out loud and earning questions about his mental wellbeing from anyone who heard him. Even trying to register what Edward just said seemed impossible, so much that it almost deserved laughter.

And clearly it didn't seem possible for _him_ either; only the tell tale sign of blush that layered itself over the young man’s face begged to differ.

"So, so let me get this straight," Roy said regaining his composure "You got engaged."

Again the blush flashed and the floor took another burning beating from fiery golden irises.

"To miss Rockbell, no less..." Roy rested a forefinger and thumb against his own chin, as if he were in a panel giving some sort of critically acclaimed approval. "I have to say, it's about time you got your act together, Fullmetal. You certainly know how to pick'em."

Edward shot a venomous look at Roy. "I didn't come here to get critiqued by you, All I need is your permission to register for a house."

Roy gestured with a wave of his hand for Edward to calm down. "No need to get twisted up, I wasn't saying anything bad about your Fiancée." Roy simpered as the last word that rolled off his tongue made Edward twitch slash blush.

Deciding he'd  cease outwardly poking fun at the Fullmetal Newlywed, Roy turned in his seat, opening one of his desk drawers to brandish the said papers Edward requested from him. "Just give me the name of the manager to your dorm building and leave the rest to me, alright?"

Edward nodded, digging his hands in his pockets as if he'd written the name down beforehand.

Roy felt completely in his element. While he may have looked cool and collected on the outside, inside there dwelt a devilish version of himself with a twisted mustache, sitting on a black throne and laughing giddily, basking in the forebodingness of it all. _'Oh... things will definitely be getting interesting for awhile.'_

\-----

 _‘It's not as if were really married'  
'It's not as if were really married'  
'It's not as if were really married'  
'It's not as if were really married!'_

Edward let those words wash throughout his mind as he walked toward the front doors of Central military's housing offices, his left hand tightly clutched around the necessary papers Roy had signed and given him to show to the housing commission ( _'leave the rest to me' he said? yeah RIGHT!_ ').

The blond soon-to-be-eighteen-year-old’s usually fair weathered features were clearly riled up and noticeable to any passerby, even the coat he wore felt unbearable to wear despite the early fall breeze that flew by.  
 _'E-even she agreed!'_ He continued to argue with himself as he pulled the door open and entered the building _. 'This whole damn thing's her fault anyway!'_

 **Previously-**

 _"Winry, how did this happen?" Alphonse said in a quiet voice that would make one think he could be on the verge of crying, unless any of those 'ones' knew perfectly well he couldn't_

Edward and Alphonse stood next to Winry Rockbell, their machine loving childhood friend. Like Edward she was his age with blond hair, only hers was a lighter shade and she usually held it back in a ponytail. Only this time she let her hair hang listlessly while her bangs curtained over tired blue eyes that spent most of the train ride to Central in tears.

"Sh-she was trying to put up the shop sign on a post we got for the front of the house." Winry said sullenly, hugging her knees and looking strait at the wall in front of where she sat. "I told her I would put it up later, but she wouldn’t listen- Den started barking and, I looked out the window, and she was on the ground-" Winry paused, clearly it hurt her to think about what had happened.

Edward looked away from Winry to the door that the paramedics had gone through with Pinako on a stretcher only a few minutes ago. A mark of sadness washed over his face, silently he hoped the old woman would be alright.

“It’s all my fault!” Winry sobbed, hiding her face as fresh tears poured down.  

His brother Alphonse got to her first, kneeling at Winry's side to pat her softly on the back "It's alright, Winry. She looked fine when the doctors brought her in, I'm sure she'll be okay."

Edward couldn't take not having an encouraging banter of his own to say, so he spoke up. "Of course she'll be fine, the woman's as stubborn as grease on a frying pan. She'll pull through."

Winry looked up and lowered an eyebrow at Edward's strange analogy before nodding briefly. "I-I suppose you guys are right..."

A few hours later the small party received word that she was still in critical but stabilized for now. The fracture to her hips would need to be repaired, and the operation would render her immobile for a few months or worst case scenario, a year. So after visiting with Pinako in her room for awhile the trio way to the Central Military base.

At first none of them spoke much, so it was pretty quiet the whole walk there.

Until Edward spoke up, that is.

"So, Winry," He said turning his head to look back at her. "When are you going back to Risembool?"

Winry looked up at Edward with a look of borderline mortification. "What? You think I'd leave Grandma here in Central all alone? Get real, Ed!"

Alphonse shirked away from Winry slightly while Edward rubbed the back of his head where she had smacked him with a wrench. "Geeze, sorry! I was just curious."

Alphonse decided to intervene and pressed the issue on. "Winry, you heard the doctor. Granny will be here for a long time. If your not leaving Central, where are you going to stay?"

Winry looked at the ground they walked on, as if thinking about his question carefully. "Well, I  could go back to Rush Vally, I’m sure they miss me there. If not that, I guess Miss Gracia might let me stay with her." She answered.

"Those sound good." Alphonse said relieved. "Perhaps you could call her later to ask..."

Edward drifted away from listening to Alphonse and Winry speak. He was concerned about how Winry planned on setting a temporary root in Central (or he genuinely was _until she smacked him that is). Now that she had a plan he let his concern slide as he digressed to thoughts about some forthcoming mission he was told to report to Mustangs office for._

\-----

Sometime later,  with his assignment in hand, Edward sped from Roy's office just narrowly dodging a stray bullet from a ramped Hawkeye, who was currently vying for the Colonel's immediate departure from the planet when she discovered that, instead of signing the documents like he'd been instructed, he had decided to doodle images of a cartoonish looking Riza in one of his miniskirts.

Edward still worked to calm himself down after avoiding being used by Roy as a shield when he made it to the lobby where Winry and his brother waited. He noticed a stiff complexion on Winry's face that almost matched Alphonse's own emotionless (yet strangely often emotional) face.

"Umm, bad news, brother..." Alphonse started off. Winry spoke up after Edward asked what was wrong. "Miss Gracia's moving from her house."

Edward gawked before forcing himself to regain his composure, wanting all the while to smack himself in the head. He completely forgot that he'd spoken to Gracia awhile ago, she specifically said she was having movers come in to get things from the house. Edward fixed a scolding look at Alphonse, since he too had been present when he was told this.  
Although now wasn't the time to point out one's memory flaws, the more pressing issue was where Winry was going to stay.

"H- Have you spoken to that guy in Rush Vally yet?" Edward asked, making a quick suggestion.

She sighed. “Mr. Garfeil won’t have me working with Granny on my mind. He said I’d lack the motivation to concentrate.”

“Umm,” He fished around for someone else. For a second he thought of Sheska, but the image of towering pagodas ranging from 'Treasure Island' to 'How To Manage Your Budget' in hard cover leaflets conquered his vision as they fell straight for a frightened Winry.

Edward shuddered as he shook the thought away. Sheska's place was out of the question. Then where else could she possibly stay? Winry was too damn stubborn to just high-tail it home or else Edward would have made her do so already (if not because he also wanted to avoid any unnecessary metal on head contact)

"Why- why don't I stay with you guys?"

Both Edward and Alphonse made small noises like she'd said something strange. "Winry, you can’t'" Edward said and explained his reason before she could protest. “Military dorms are off limits to civilians.”

Winry looked forlornly at the floor. Suddenly she sat up with a smile on her face, "What about a house?"

Edward blinked. A house?

"Like the one Miss Gracia is moving from" Winry continued on. "You could get that Colonel guy to let you guys move into a house instead of living in a dorm so that way we can live together until Grandma heals."

Edward felt as if Winry had abandoned her wrench and smacked him upside the head with a steel bat. A house? No, it was totally out of the question! AB-SO-LUTE-LY NOT!

"Um, Winry..." Alphonse said, "I don’t think that's possible either."

"Damn strait it's not!" Edward snapped, earning both heads to turn in his direction quickly "First off more than two people have to live together in an enlisted house, not to mention they have to be family-"

"But," Winry said interrupting Edward's protest. "I'm already practically your family."

"You know what I mean!" Edward continued. "You'd also have to be part of the military family, like family that work for the military too."

Again Winry interrupted "Miss Gracia wasn't part of the military."

"That's because Hughes was MARRIED to her, the only exception would be if someone part of the military were married to someone who wasn't! Not to mention-" Edward ranted on, all the while missing the mischievous grin that broke across Winry's face.

"... Well, I think you’ve already answered my question, Ed."

Edward's mouth flew shut and he blinked at Winry. "Answered your- What?"  


 _"What are you talking about, Winry?" Alphonse asked. Like Edward, he felt totally clueless to the obvious plot Winry had molded just now._

Winry looked Edward dead in the eye, making him twitch slightly before she spoke. "You're in the military, Right Ed?"

Okay, what rock came out of nowhere and hit her on the head? what kind of dumb question was that? "Winry...you know I'm in the military." Edward said through clenched teeth.

"And I'm not?" She said pointing at herself with her thumb as if she were some sort of hotshot.

Edward ignored the urge to scream and made himself calmly ask "Winry... What the hell are you getting at here?"

"Oh!"

Edward looked at his brother, whom at the moment looked as if he'd installed a glowing light bulb that radiated from his cranium, he looked way too damn gleeful for a so-called emotionless suit of armor. It was almost downright scary. And since when does Alphonse catch onto something before he does?

"I may go places with you, Brother. But I'm not part of the military either!" He declared clapping his hands.

What. The. Living. Hell...

When did Winry and Alphonse suddenly decide to team up against him? Edward felt like the helpless elementary kid about to be bullied out of his lunch money by two tag teaming high school yankees. There was nothing fair about this at ALL!

"Will you stop being cryptic and tell me what's so fucking special about the two of you not being in the mil-"

Suddenly it hit him. Only this time it wasn‘t a steel bat, it was a cannon ball, knocking into him so fast he couldn't breath, think, nor summon the ability to jam up the staccato that hammered behind his lungs.

"...No."

Alphonse and Winry stopped whatever victory party they were having and looked dejectedly at Edward, who had screwed his face into what he hoped was a convincing pissed off expression and not a 'Shit-I'm-embarrassed-and-don't-know-what-to-think' one.

"Why not, brother?" Alphonse said (or rather whined) "It's perfect, and I don't see anything wrong with it."

Of course Alphonse didn't see anything wrong with it... It's not like HE was being asked to pretend that he was getting married!

"I'm not doing it!" Edward stated rather loudly, staring down the bullies with as much gusto as he could muster.

"Well, I don't see any other way, Edward." Winry interjected, earning a heated look from said person. "Unless you want me to stay in one of the motels here in Central until Grandma heals."

FUCK NO! The last thing Edward wanted for Winry to do was stay in a motel by herself. Central was no place to live for an extended stay unless you were some martial arts expert or if you had two or more friends to watch your back. Try to do anything here on your own for too long and you were lucky if no trouble happened upon you. Central made itself look pretty to outsiders, but like any other big city, it has it’s flaws. And if the damn news paper headlines about missing people on and off weren't proof enough...

Edward clenched a fist at his side. There was still no way in hell he was going to pretend an engagement. Especially to-

"Please, Ed." Winry asked, still bent on making this matter play through till the end. "It's not as if were really married, and besides; later we could tell them it didn't work out after Grandma gets out of the hospital and can go back home."

Edward opened his mouth to protest, only words decided to abandon him.

"I promise I'll be out of your hair after this is over, and I'll throw in a smaller budget when you to get repairs."

Edward's jaw closed tightly. The Rockbell's did tend to be over pricy...

He looked at his little brother (or up at him to his annoyance), who was all nods.  
Forcefully he looked at Winry, who waited patiently for the answer she wanted to hear.

sunava bitch.

 **At Present-**

Edward left the building after waiting for hours to receive the information about which house he would be residing in. It was a nice light blue two story located just outside of the busiest part of Central.

Now he just had to check it out for himself to see if it was suitable, then that would be it. for the most part anyway.

The only thing Edward had to wonder (and worry) about now was what he was going to do now that he was in this mess. Was it really worth it to cave into Winry's offer of a cut budget while the equivalent to it was that he'd be subjected to make others believe the Fullmetal Alchemist decided to settle down?

Edward sighed deeply, wondering just how things would really bode from all this, while groaning at the street name where his new family home would be, which coincidentally read 'Advent Road.'

 ** _TBC._ **

**Author's Note:**

> This is a reboot of an old fic. I will try to finish it here this time!


End file.
